The Denver Post reports:
… Ritter threw his support behind a proposal requiring homebuilders to offer buyers the option of putting solar panels on their home or having the home pre-wired for the panels.
“Homebuyers already have choices when it comes to countertops, paint colors and flooring,” he said. “People should have similar options when it comes to sustainability.”
Come on, Bill, buyers already have that “option.” What Ritter wants is not the option but the requirement. The result of this will be to marginally increase the cost of homes.
Buyers and sellers — of homes and other goods — have the right to negotiate mutually-agreeable terms. Buyers who want solar panels are free to demand them, and sellers are free to provide them.
The problem for Ritter is that most people don’t want to put up the extra expense of buying solar panels. Which is why Ritter wants to force people to explore that “option.”
Jon Caldara had a great reply for the Post, even though safety codes too should be a matter of private contract and tort enforcement: “That’s insane. Why don’t we also require them to offer Corian countertops as well? This is between a private builder and a private owner, and the government’s only responsibility is to make sure the building is up to safety codes.”